DIY prosthesis all the rage in Tasmania
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Feb 13th 2009 10:47PM
posted Feb 13th 2009 10:47PM
When the doctors told amputee Mark Lesek that the severity of his injury made him ineligible for a prosthesis, he refused to give up. Left with nothing but his own welding and engineering business, several hundred thousands of dollars, and an indomitable spirit, the Tasmanian gentleman began the quest for an artificial arm. First, he shopped around until he found a doctor who agreed to order an $80,000 prosthesis from Germany -- which eventually broke down (but not before he shelled out $6,000 for repairs on the thing). His next stop was the Branemark Osseointegration Centre in Sweden, where he was fitted with an $80,000 bolt that works as a sort of "artificial shoulder." Still unable to find a suitable arm, the guy teamed up with one of his employees to design and build his own lightweight magnesium "body powered" prosthesis. But that's not all -- he's also working with the University of Tasmania to develop a more agile computer-controlled arm, controlled with "a cap with electrodes which will be interfaced into the computer." Let's hope that all his hard work pays off -- and that he teaches those doctors a thing or two in the process.
[Via Switched]
[Via Switched]
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You guys are really taking the whole Friday the 13th thing a little bit too seriously...
I love the Friday the 13th theme today.
I'm not sure how much Engadget is getting paid for this but I think its "mission accomplished" because they have managed to keep the fact that the movie has been released fresh in my mind.
Problem is...its almost Saturday the 14th.
They do this every Friday the 13th...there just happens to be a movie coming out this time around. Lurk moar.
Mr. potato head the movie?
I'm not so sure I would go sleeveless if I were him.....
just be glad that he was a welder and engineer. had he been a taxidermist, we would likely see him with a robotic, double-jointed, stuffed wallabee attached to his shoulder or something.
yeah thats kinda creepy....the shirt i mean
Super high tech robotic arms for the win.
give him a nobel prize already.
also, he must have deep pockets to order an $80,000 "bolt"..
Think of it the other way - if somebody threatened to cut off your arm unless you paid them $80k, you'd probably do it...
just don't let Harrison Ford get ahold of him...
MAGNESIUM!?!?!?!?! wouldn't that turn him into a flare?!
what about aluminium, isn't that a safer choice? anyway he's helping science progress so, good work
Magnesium is only flammable at extremely high temperatures (not naturally-occurring except in stars) unless in powder form, and that's obviously not powder.
For the mass, magnesium is stronger and more heat-resistant than aluminum; it gets brittle at a higher than aluminum, if I remember correctly, which is why they use aluminum in aircraft instead of magnesium.
It's a alloy of magnesium. Not flammable. Remember the 'Magnesium' powerbooks?
@vince
Ummmm..pure magnesium is ignitable at relatively low temps, such as from a bunsen burner. It is regularly used as a fuse for some explosives and is used to light up 'traser' ammunition....no stars required....where do you people get this crap? Worse, why do you people insist on SPREADING said crap?
I guess vince has never disposed of an old vw engine block in the desert...
he built hos own, eh
He built hoes?
this guy is awesome
Terminator - will we see for real, in 25 years?
I heard it requires a 2 year contract .
Can someone please explain to me the target demographic of the "Switched" blog? I'm really curious, it basically seems to be a less frequently updated, lesser content version of Engadget.
it's a version of Engadget for baby-boomers and women. :D
Ahh man , Jason got to him,...
Dingo ate his arm?
spell check that bad boy.
If I were him , my nickname would be "Tasmanian devil",.,get it . Tasmania,. Ahh nevermind,
Magnesium is a good choice. FYI it should be an alloy rendering it incombustible.
80,000$,.,.? He couldve bought 26 MacBooks ..
And he still wouldn't be able carry them or pick one up.....
"Still unable to find a suitable arm, the guy teamed up with one of his employees to design and build hos"
I like the way this guy thinks
"build hos own lightweight magnesium "body powered" prosthesis"
Hos?
It's not as if you can really shop around for the lowest price.
HIGH FIVE!
(im sorry.)
I'm pretty sure the story was found like this.
In a yahoo search engine: "Friday the 13 movie times" was typed.
Within the top results was:
...Flickr....Friday the 13 t-shirt...grams times lighter... a DIY only seen in a movie...
Gone is the day when search engines were effective.
Man, this guy sure has a lot of money!
At least he didn't have to pay a leg as well as the arm...
This guy is my hero. Good for him.
shave that prosthe-pit
ROTFSS
Maybe the hair is part of the prosth! It's a nice touch. Sometimes the ladies like to run their fingers through it.
Now that's what I call a handjob.
Respect.
*bows down*
Respect.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
No offense to those involved, but I've always thought available prosthesis solutions were somewhat lacking.
This dude brings them to a 'ho'. notha.. level..!
So basically this is the poor man's Tony Stark....got it.
Yeah, you know who we should be 'bailing out'? Guys like this, who will not take failure for an answer. Seriously, I hope he becomes a zillionaire, after being told essentially that he was beyond the help of technology. Necessity is the mother of invention, for sure.
http://savemoneytips.org
Itsa meee! Bionic Mario!